However, no cases have yet been confirmed on the island.

 

　　Doctor Pei Chun-Zhan is with the Taiwan Center for Disease Control.

 

　　"The virus cannot transmit from man to man, and it is impossible to result in pandemic influenza in a short period of time. However, we cannot be sure whether the virus will go through mutation to cause the transmission from man to man. Currently, we still cannot exclude that possibility."

 

　　Two patients being treated on Taiwan did travel to the mainland cities of Suzhou and Shanghai.

 

　　Based on a seven-day dormant period of virus, the middle of this month is going to be a critical moment for containing any epidemic of H7N9.

 

　　The new strain of bird flu sickened 38 people on the mainland so far.

 

　　10 have died.

 

　　So far only one person - a 4-year old boy in Shanghai - has fully recovered.

 

　　Authorities are still working through the theory that people are contracting the virus through direct contact with infected birds.

 

　　The authorities say there's been no discernable proof of people-to-people transmissions.

 

　　At least 16 people have been detained in different parts of the country for spreading online rumors about the deadly virus.

 

　　Authorities in Hong Kong have started taking blood samples of poultry imported from the mainland to test for H7N9.